This is a good cowboy story. It takes place after the Civil War so the slaves have been freed but there is still a lot of injustice in the south. The African-American cousins take off after they are unjustly accused of stealing a horse.They join a cattle drive and hope to make it to Texas where they will look for Prometheus's father.. They are young, just 13 and 11 but the older, Prmetheus is a good horse wrangler and a sure shot and Homer, the younger, helps the cook. They face many challenges along the way, running rivers, ornery cattle, indians both friendly and dangerous and many situations to deal with.

Born on the day Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Prometheus Jones is fourteen when he wins a horse in a raffle and heads west. With only his cousin and best friend, eleven year-old Omer, and a half-blind black horse named Good Eye for company, Jones means to make it to Texas where he hopes to find his father. Unfortunately, by the time he hits Kansas he's down to his last six bits, which even in those days wasn't much. Necessity demands a slightly more circuitous route, and Prometheus and Omer sign on with a cattle drover named Beck headed for Deadwood, South Dakota with a herd.

River crossings, amputations, his first kiss and a couple of jail-breaks, not to mention a stampede and a fair amount of bronc riding keep this fast-paced adventure flying right along. I wasn't sure quite what to expect, but this was quite a ride. Very little is sugar-coated here, from prejudice to pus, it's gritty and raw and very readable. ( )

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Prometheus Jones (gotta love his name!) is a young black boy turned cowboy. After the death of his mother and the luck of winning a one-eyed horse, Prometheus heads west along with his eleven-year-old cousin named Omer. Prometheus has headed to Texas to find the father he never knew.

THE ADVENTUROUS DEEDS OF DEADWOOD JONES doesn't hesitate to describe the rough and often dangerous life of the cowboy. The two young cowboys get themselves jobs with a cattle driving company and the adventure begins. There is enough cattle roping, gun slinging, and run-ins with Indians to satisfy the wildest western lover. Readers will learn about the dangers of stampeding cattle, swimming rushing rivers, and facing the possibility of being scalped by the Sioux.

Author Helen Hemphill offers something a bit different than the usual YA material. Her description of being a black cowboy in a world of mostly white cattle-drivers provides an interesting historical perspective most books don't include. Also, the fact that the hard-working, courageous characters are quite young compared to modern-day working teens provides not only entertainment, but also a heads-up that today's kids don't have it so bad at all. ( )